Food

Porridge is Helping to Fight Hunger in Liberia

This Porridge called “Power Gari” is changing the way an entire country eats.

One-third of Liberian kids under 5 aren’t growing properly from lack of nutrients. “Power Gari” was created to help. It’s an oatmeal-like food packed with vitamins and minerals.

“We don’t have any food here that actually has all the nutrition and vitamins that you need on a daily basis in one food product. Power Gari actually filled that vacuum.” Kawadah Farms Project Manager Kokpr “Ko” Daynuah stated. “A lot of our children are not being fed with a nutrition focus. People actually eat anything they want to eat.”

Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and it’s still recovering from years of civil war. Every 5th household is considered food insecure. Fortuantely, Power Gari is only about 10 cents a serving, making it an affordable food solution. Dayuah says it’s flying off the shelves and Liberians can’t believe it’s actually made locally. It also tastes sweeter and richer than its conventional counterpart.

It also isn’t the first fortified food for Liberia, but Dayuah says it wants to be the first that sticks around. It was created by the U.S. company Just, which has become popular for its vegan mayo. Just worked with Daynuah and Kawadah Farms to set up the business model.

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